Latest news with #WickerPark
CBS News
4 days ago
- CBS News
CPD Officer Carlos Baker stripped of police powers day after CBS News Chicago report
Chicago police officer Carlos Baker has been relieved of his police powers one day after a CBS News Chicago report about actions he took in the wake of an incident at a bar in Wicker Park. This decision was made one day after CBS News Chicago reported Baker had made calls to neighboring businesses on Milwaukee Avenue, and to a CBS News Chicago reporter, looking for surveillance video of a Sunday incident in which he is considered a suspect. Baker is under investigation after CPD was called to DSTRKT Bar and Grill on North Milwaukee Avenue Sunday night. A 29-year-old off-duty female officer told police she had been attacked by multiple people including fellow officer Baker. Baker has been on leave – first administrative, then medical – since June, when he fatally shot his partner Officer Krystal Rivera during a foot chase in a tactical operation. The police department has called that shooting accidental, and no criminal charges have been filed against him. While on leave, Baker was prohibited from being involved in investigations but still had his service weapon and police badge. Now that Superintendent Larry Snelling has relieved him of his police powers, Baker no longer has access to his badge or his service weapon. After Rivera's death, CBS News Chicago Investigators found at least 10 complaints filed against Baker since he was hired in 2021, which include a variety of allegations ranging from excessive force to improper stops and unprofessional behavior. We know at least one complaint was sustained by COPA. Please note: The above video is from a previous report.
CBS News
4 days ago
- CBS News
CPD Officer Carlos Baker stripped of police powers amid investigation into Wicker Park bar fight
Chicago police officer Carlos Baker has been relieved of his police powers amid an investigation by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability into a bar fight in Wicker Park he was allegedly involved in last weekend. This decision was made one day after CBS News Chicago reported Baker had made calls to neighboring businesses on Milwaukee Avenue, and to a CBS News Chicago reporter, looking for surveillance video of a Sunday incident in which he is considered a suspect. Baker is under investigation after CPD was called to DSTRKT Bar and Grill on North Milwaukee Avenue Sunday night. A 29-year-old off-duty female officer told police she had been attacked by multiple people including fellow officer Baker. Baker has been on leave – first administrative, then medical – since June, when he fatally shot his partner Officer Krystal Rivera during a foot chase in a tactical operation. The police department has called that shooting accidental, and no criminal charges have been filed against him. While on leave, Baker was prohibited from being involved in investigations but still had his service weapon and police badge. Now that Superintendent Larry Snelling has relieved him of his police powers, Baker no longer has access to his badge or his service weapon. After Rivera's death, CBS News Chicago Investigators found at least 10 complaints filed against Baker since he was hired in 2021, which include a variety of allegations ranging from excessive force to improper stops and unprofessional behavior. We know at least one complaint was sustained by COPA.
CBS News
5 days ago
- CBS News
Chicago cop allegedly involved Wicker Park bar fight sought video of attack before investigators
Already under investigation for the on-duty shooting of his partner Krystal Rivera, Chicago Police Officer Carlos Baker may have misrepresented himself and violated department policy in the aftermath of a bar fight in Wicker Park last weekend. Baker is being investigated by the Chicago Office of Police Accountability after police were called to DSTRKT Bar and Grill on North Milwaukee Ave. around 11 p.m. Sunday where a 29-year-old woman, also an off-duty police officer, alleged she was attacked by multiple people including fellow officer Baker. While reporting on the initial incident, CBS News Chicago learned from an employee at a neighboring business that Baker called their shop, identified himself as a police officer investigating the bar fight — in which he is actually listed as a suspect — and asked for access to the surveillance cameras. The employee showed CBS News Chicago the business' caller ID, which showed a name matching Baker's mother and a time stamp, 3:01 p.m. Wednesday, as news was breaking about the bar fight. When a CBS News Chicago reporter called the number and left a voicemail, she promptly received a call back by a man who identified himself as Carlos Baker. He asked if "our restaurant" cameras are working and if they had video of the Sunday night incident. When told he was speaking to a reporter, Baker hung up. Baker has ben on administrative leave from CPD since June, when police said he accidentally fatally shot Rivera during a foot chase during a tactical operation. Baker was never charged criminally for Rivera's death, but was placed on paid administrative leave per department protocol. Chicago police say Baker is now on medical leave but has not been stripped of his police powers. He still has his badge and service weapon, but any officer on medical or administrative leave cannot participate in police investigations. CBS News Chicago Investigators have found at least 10 complaints filed against Baker since he was hired in 2021, which include a variety of allegations ranging from excessive force to improper stops and unprofessional behavior.
CBS News
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
3 teachers hold spelling bee for adults in Chicago's Wicker Park
A crowd turned out in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood Wednesday evening for an adult spelling bee. Three teachers organized the first-ever Wicker Park Spelling Bee in the Chicago Park District park of Wicker Park at Damen Avenue and Schiller Street. Fourth-grade teacher Gracie Hepworth said she was inspired to organize the event while trading TikToks with her friend, teacher Jenna Garcia, and they came across someone who threw a spelling bee party. So they decided, why not hold a spelling bee for adults? "We thought it would be a really fun community event. We're the three teachers on summer break," said Hepworth. "So Jenna and I were talking about it, and then I roped in my fiancé, Matt, who's also a teacher — and one thing led to another." The trio of teachers began putting up simple black-and-white posters around the Wicker Park neighborhood. They also posted a series of TikTok videos, and were shocked that one of them went viral and racked up more than 350,000 views. "Once the TikTok happened, we had no idea what it was going to look like. Our initial instinct was that it would be like maybe a few of our friends, and then maybe a few strangers the posters — probably about 20 people," Hepworth said. "But once we saw how many views it was getting, we had no idea. We all got a little bit nervous. But we were committed to carrying it out, so here we are." Indeed, there were a lot more than 20 people at the spelling bee. They sat on lawn chairs and blankets in the grass, making Wicker Park look more like Ravinia. The teachers said they created the spelling bee because they wanted to spread positivity in their community in an age where social media is dominant in people's lives. They also wanted to get people off their phones to do something in person.
New York Times
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Men, Where Have You Gone? Please Come Back.
May 17. A warm Saturday night in Wicker Park, a vibrant stretch of Chicago where seven restaurants crowd a single block. Troy and I were having dinner at Mama Delia, one of the quieter spots. The sidewalk patio held five tables: three two-tops, including ours, and a pair pulled together for a group of eight women. At those tables, Troy was the only man. The scene was beautiful — low lights, shared plates, shoulders angled in. The kind of evening people wait for all winter. Still, I found myself watching the crowd as it moved past us: women walking in pairs or alone, dressed with care. At table after table at the nearby restaurants, there was a noticeable absence of men — at least of men seated in what looked like dates. Troy and I have known each other for almost 20 years. We met at Playboy, of all places, back when we were both learning how desire gets packaged, sold and sometimes misunderstood. We stayed close friends, bonded not just by our opinions, but by the effort it takes to stay in someone's life. That night, we made the effort. Still, what I saw unfolding around us felt like something else entirely: a collective shift I couldn't unsee. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
